Neal posts record sales in Nov.

LAKEWOOD RANCH -- Neal Communities closed on a record number of contracts in November, and is on track for its best year ever in terms of sales volume in 2011.

The Lakewood Ranch-based home builder closed on 48 contracts last month, and has sold 365 homes this year, inspiring President Pat Neal to speak optimistically about the state of the local industry.

“We are no longer at the bottom of the real estate market. We are decidedly on the trend up,” he claims in a release.

Neal Communities' revenues in 2010 were up 19.5%, from $62.52 million in 2009 to $74.71 million. The company's president spoke to the Business Review for a feature story on the local housing market in August (see “On the Mend,” Aug. 5).